City footprints and SDGs provide untapped potential for assessing city sustainability

Cities are recognised as central to determining the sustainability of human development. However, assessment concepts that are able to ascertain whether or not a city is sustainable are only just emerging. Here we review literature since the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were agreed in 2015 and identify three strands of scientific inquiry and practice in assessing city sustainability. We find that further integration is needed. SDG monitoring and assessment of cities should take advantage of both consumption-based (footprint) accounting and benchmarking against planetary boundaries and social thresholds in order to achieve greater relevance for designing sustainable cities and urban lifestyles.

Researcher Details

Research Paper

City footprints and SDGs provide untapped potential for assessing city sustainability

Category

Climate control

Researcher Name

Thomas Wiedmann ; Cameron Allen

Organisation/ University

Sustainability Assessment Program (SAP), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Sustainability Assessment Program (SAP), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Designation

Professor; Scientist

Patent Applied?

No

Patent no

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